Metal sheet drying oven



Sept. 25, L1951 F. s. BAILEY VIETAL SHEET DRYING OVEN 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed DSG. 14, 1948 F. S. BAILEY METAL SHEET DRYI`NG OVEN Sept. 25, v1951 Filed Dc.

5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 25, 1951 Filed Dec. 14, 1948 F. S. BAILEY METAL SHEET DRYING OVEN 3 Sheets-Shea?l 5 IN VEN TOR.

Patented Sept. 25:51951 The circulating blower I2 is operated by an electric motor I5 which drives the shaft I6 of the blower by means of the chain drive I 1.

At the top of the casing I near the forward end of the same is shown exhausting means by which fumes and gases are exhausted out of the oven. Such exhaust means includes an exhaust fan I8 operative to draw the fumes and gases upwardthrough the duct I9 and out through the hooded exhaust pipe 20. The exhaust fan I8 is driven by the electric motor 2I through suitable chain drive 22. conveyor below the air-circulating and exhaust means just described.

The duct I3, leading from the air-circulating blower I2, extends downwardly from the outlet of the blower I2 on the outside Yof the casing VI to a chamber I 4 which is herein termed a manifold since it serves to divert the heated air under considerable velocity through a plurality of slotlike nozzles 24 from whence the air is expelled to be forced around the plates 5 carried by the conveyor above these nozzles, in the manner indicated b'v the arrows 4I), 4I and 42 in Fig. 3. The manifold or chamber I4 is of the shape most clearly seen in Fig. l wherein it willbe noted that it is of largest capacity at its center and is tapered at its opposite Vends as indicated at 25 and 26. In its interior the chamber or` manifold I4 is provided with a plurality of curved, vertically-arranged partitions or baiiles 21 tending to direct the air streams throughout the chamber I4, distribute the same to, and secure uniform air ow through the substantial number of outlet nozzles 24, located at the top of the chamber or manifold I4.

. To provide the nozzles, the top wall 21' of the chamber or manifold I4 is formed with a plurality of spaced slots 28 forming outlet openings, and the nozzles 24 are arranged over these slots 2-8 and form upward contlnuations ofthe same as will be noted in Fig. 5. Each nozzle is composed of two angular plates or pieces, indicated respectively at 29 and 30. The piece or plate shown at 29 includes a basev ange 3| attached by the screws 32 to the top wall 21 of the chamber or manifold I4. Said piece or section 29 is provided with an upwardly-extending vertical flange 33 which is at a slight angle to perpendicular and is provided with a laterally extending or horizontal iiange 34 at the top. 'Ifhe nozzle piece or plate indicated at 3D has a base iiange 35, secured by the screws 36 to the top wall Z'I of the manifold I4, and also has a vertical flange 31 extending upwardly and at a greater angle from vertical than the vertical flange 33. At the top, the iiange 31 is provided with the horizontal flange 38. The two anges 34 and 38 are embraced by suitable clips 38a provided at spaced intervals along the slot-like apertures or mouths of the nozzles thus formed, so that these outlet ends of the nozzles are reinforced and held against enlargement or distortion. It will be noted that the arrangement just described is such as to result in slot-like apertures which are smaller at their outlet ends than at their entrance ends, the latter ends being defined by the slots 28 in the top wall 2l' of the casing I. The slot-like nozzles are closed at their opposite or side ends by the vertical wall plates 39.

Attention is directed to the fact that the nozzles 24 are so arranged that their slot-like outlet openings are disposed angularlyto the plane of the plates 5 carried by the conveyor above them, as will be more clearly noted in Fig. 6,

A grid 23 is located above the 4 wherein the plates 5 are indicated in dot-anddash lines, and the same extend at substantially right angles tothe side walls of the casing while the slot-like outlet ends of the nozzles cross the lower edges of these plates at an angle. With this arrangement it will be apparent that an unequal air velocity will 'be caused between the plates. This will be noted in Fig. 3, wherein the arrows indicated at 40 show maximum air velocity in the areas around the central portions of the plates while air flow toward the'ends of the Y plates, as indicated at 4I and 42 is considerably less. As a result the total resultant forces which tend to draw two adjacent plates together when a uniform air velocity or flow is created between them, will be considerably reduced and higher air velocities can be maintained without causing the plates to flutter and be possibly brought into Vcontact with one another to mar or deface the coatings thereon.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 'l inclusive, the nozzles are shown as being provided with slot openings which extend continuously, and without change in angularity from one end of the nozzle to its-opposite end. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, a slightly diierent -arrangement is shown wherein the outlets 50 are of flattened V-formation. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 9 the nozzles are divided into two groups, namely those shown at 5I and those indicatedat 52. The nozzles in the two groups are staggered or alternated, but those in each group are disposedrat -an angle to the plates which are carried above v'them and hence the variations in air velocity exists in this structure in the Vmanner explained with respect to the structure of Figs. 1 to "1.

In the operation of the drying oven, the plates are loaded on the conveyor at the forward end 4 of the oven and are carried `thereby through the oven and above the nozzles 24 to receive the blasts of heated air therefromrunder relatively high velocity. Due to the unequal force of the air blasts between the plates because of vthe angularity of the nozzle outlets with respect to thev plates carried above them, fiutter of the plate will not take place but drying of the plates will be speeded up. After the plates are carried beyond the inner end of the bank of nozzles they proceed through-the chamber or oven in knownV manner toward the outlet end where they are either manually or mechanically removed from the conveyor. Throughout the casing I, and beyond the nozzle bank, heating elements 55, fans 56, and other known elements are generally employed for providing required air temperature and circulation within the oven chamber as is known in this art.

Having described one embodiment of the invention, it is obvious that the same is not to be restricted thereto, but is broad enough to cover all structures coming within the scope of the annexed claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a drying apparatus, a drying chamber, means for transporting a plurality of plates on edge and in spaced relation through said drying chamber, an air chamber located below the plates and over which the plates are moved by said transporting means, said air chamber having a plurality of apertures in its top wall extending across the air chamber for a distance nearly equal to the width of the plates, said apertures being in the form of nozzles with elongated slot-like outlets, said slot-like outlets being arranged in parallelism and all being disposed with their longitudinal axes transverse to the path of travel of the plates, saidslots all being at an acute angle in respect to the plane of the plates carried past and above them so that an unequal air velocity will be created between adjacent plates and flutter of said plates will be minimized.

2. In a drying apparatus, a drying chamber, means for transporting a plurality of plates on edge and in spaced relation through the drying chamber, an air chamber located below the plates and over which the plates are moved by said transporting means, said air chamber having a plurality of apertures in its top wall in the form of nozzles with elongated slot-like outlets, some of said nozzles being in staggered relation to others, said slot-like outlets being arranged in parallelism and all being disposed with their longitudinal axes transverse to the path of travel of the plates, said slots all being at an acute angle in respect to the plane of the plates carried past and above them so that an unequal air velocity will be created between adjacent plates and flutter of said plates will be minimized.

3. In a drying apparatus, a drying chamber, means for transporting a plurality of plates on edge and in spaced relation through the drying chamber, an air chamber located below the plates and over which the plates are moved by said transporting means, said air chamber having a plurality of apertures in its top wall in the form of nozzles with elongated slot-like outlets, said nozzlesl being all of attened V-formation and being arranged in parallelism and all being disposed with their longitudinal axes transverse to the path of travel of -the plates, said slots being at an acute angle in respect to the plane of the plates carried past and above them so that 6 an unequal air velocity will be created between adjacent plates and iiutter of said plates Will be minimized.

4. In a drying apparatus, a drying chamber in which plates are carried while being supported on edge and disposed in spaced relation and substantially parallel, an air chamber located below the plates, said air chamber having a plurality of elongated slot-like spaced openings in its top, a nozzle arranged over each slot-like opening, each nozzle having a slot-like outlet dened by opposed vertical walls, one of said walls being substantially perpendicular and the other being at an angle to vertical whereby the slot-like outlet end of the nozzle is smaller than the slot-like opening in the air chamber over which the nozzle is positioned, the slot-like out-- lets of the nozzles being arranged in parallelism and all being disposed` with their longitudinal axes transverse to the path of travel of the plates, said slot-like outlets all being at an acute angle in respect to the plane of the plates carried past and above them.

FREDERICK S. BAILEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,279,086 Davoran Sept. 17, 1918 1,603,760 Furkert Oct. 19, 1926 1,668,314 Harvey May 1, 1928 1,994,220 Hormel Mar. 12, 1935 2,157,938 Milan May 9, 1939 2,177,016 Brizard Oct. 24, 1939 2,302,730 Woolford Nov. 24y 1942 2,337,649 Coyle Dec. 28, 1943 

